Set against the backdrop of 19th-century America, the story follows Dah-zhonne, a Chiricahua Apache girl whose life is shattered by a brutal attack on her village. Orphaned and adopted by an army surgeon, she transforms into Jada Morgan, a well-educated woman in Philadelphia. After facing heartbreak, she returns to the Southwest, where she confronts her past and embarks on perilous adventures. Captured by the colonel responsible for her family's massacre, Jada's fight for survival leads to a daring escape, entangling her in unforeseen dangers.
Jlin-tay-i-tith, better known as Loco, was the only Apache leader to make a lasting peace with both Americans and Mexicans. Yet most historians have ignored his efforts, and some Chiricahua descendants have branded him as fainthearted despite his well-known valor in combat. In this engaging biography, Bud Shapard tells the story of this important but overlooked chief against the backdrop of the harrowing Apache wars and eventual removal of the tribe from its homeland to prison camps in Florida, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Tracing the events of Loco's long tenure as a leader of the Warm Springs Chiricahua band, Shapard tells how Loco steered his followers along a treacherous path of unforeseeable circumstances and tragic developments in the mid-to-late 1800s. While recognizing the near-impossibility of Apache-American coexistence, Loco persevered in his quest for peace against frustrating odds and often treacherous U.S. government policy. Even as Geronimo, Naiche, and others continued their raiding and sought to undermine Loco's efforts, this visionary chief, motivated by his love for children, maintained his commitment to keep Apache families safe from wartime dangers. Based on extensive research, including interviews with Loco's grandsons and other descendants, Shapard's biography is an important counterview for historians and buffs interested in Apache history and a moving account of a leader ahead of his time
